Campaigning MP John McWilliam has stepped up his bid to ensure North East heroes of the Arctic Convoys receive a medal.

The Blaydon Labour backbencher told ministers: "Let us honour those brave men, recognise their sacrifice and huge contribution to victory in the Second World War."

Mr McWilliam is pressing the Ministry of Defence to honour the naval and merchant seamen responsible for convoys from Britain which supplied the Russians as Hitler's German army advanced on Moscow.

It was only because of these supplies, which cost thousands of lives, that Russia survived long enough to repel the Germans at Stalingrad and pave the way for D-Day and the Allies' victory over Hitler.

Mr McWilliam said people deserving a special medal included members of the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines, the Merchant Navy and Army gunners on merchant ships.

He said: "We are talking about some of the bravest men who served in the War.

"The RAF pilots were fired off their ships in a catapult, with no place to land, to take on masses of attacking German aircraft.

"Their only hope of survival was to land close enough to a ship to be picked up out of the water in the very few minutes in which they could live in those temperatures.

"They ended up in Russian army hospitals, injured or suffering from frostbite.

"Yet that service did not count towards the Arctic Medal; they were not allowed to be considered for it."

Mr McWilliam said that only six ship's companies out of 670 on the Arctic Convoys had been honoured, even though far more ships were sunk compared with the Atlantic run, for which every serviceman had been given the Atlantic Star.